It definitely has some hints of romance, at least.
Summary:
- The Apothecary Diaries has some romance elements, but that’s not its main genre.
- Because of this, it’s not the best recommendation for those who want to watch romance anime.
- Fans want to see Maomao and Jinshi’s relationship develop.
The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) is a series that gained a lot of mainstream acclaim. In the age of infinite battle shounens, romcoms and isekai anime, it’s a fresh breath — it’s a fairly grounded historical mystery series that focuses on the life of the Chinese Imperial court.
One thing you might have noticed about it, though, is that there’s a lot of talk about the supposed romance in the series. Despite that, romance as a genre is not listed in any of the anime databases like MyAnimeList. So, is The Apothecary Diaries really a romance series?
Mainly a Historical Mystery, and Definitely Not a Romance Anime
The main genre of The Apothecary Diaries is, of course, historical mystery. The anime at first focuses on short stories — showing how Maomao deals with afflictions of people of the court. Later in the series, the plot points slowly connect to each other, showing a bigger picture.
The anime also heavily relies on the main character’s knowledge of medicine and health — if you like these themes, you should consider watching it.
There is actually a romance subplot between Maomao and Jinshi, yes. However, that’s not necessarily enough to make the anime a romance series. The development between the two is very slow (it’s slow in the original light novel, too), and it’s hardly the main focus.
Perhaps we’ll see more of them together in the second season, which was already announced, but the first season was decidedly not a romance anime.
It Has Romance Elements, but You Shouldn’t Recommend It as a Good Romance Series
While The Apothecary Diaries is undoubtedly a good series, it’s not a good romance series — because it’s not a romance series at all. Despite that, some fans recommend it as a romance-oriented anime. It makes people go into it with completely wrong expectations.
Still, The Apothecary Diaries is great. While the romance is not very developed, it’s completely intentional. The slow development is realistic, and the romance was never supposed to be the focus in the first place.
In the end, despite not being a romance anime, The Apothecary Diaries has some romance elements. Think about it this way: Jinshi x Maomao was one of the most popular ships of the Winter season.
It obviously wouldn’t be a thing if the anime wasn’t teasing a future relationship between the two. Fans hope they’ll see more of their interactions in the second season.